Local elections profile: Havering

Ahead of the local elections on Thursday 7 May, we have produced short guides to London's 32 boroughs.

Where is it?: Havering is in east London, forming the easternmost part of the capital.

It borders Barking and Dagenham and Redbridge, and the Essex districts of Epping Forest and Brentwood, as well as Thurrock across its eastern boundary.

What's it like? Havering is one of London's most rural boroughs. It is made up of historic villages, 20th Century suburbs and bustling town centres. Many families pride themselves on having lived in the area for generations.

Neighbourhoods: Romford, Hornchurch, Upminster, Collier Row, Harold Hill, Rainham, Gidea Park, Emerson Park, Cranham, Havering‑atte‑Bower, Noak Hill, Harold Wood, Squirrel's Heath, South Hornchurch, Wennington.

Places of interest: Upminster Windmill, Harold Wood, historic Romford Market, which has been functional since 1247, and Havering‑atte‑Bower - the site of the medieval royal Havering Palace.

Pub quiz fact: Havering has one of the world's only listed skate parks. The Rom in Hornchurch is considered a technically significant example of 1970s shotcrete skate park construction.

Population:(2024 estimate): 276,274.

Demographics: According to the 2021 census, 75.4% identify as white, 10.7% as Asian, 8.2% as black, 3.7% as mixed race and 2% as another ethnic group.

Average property price: According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the average house price in Havering in December 2025 was £452,000.

Average monthly rent: The ONS reported that the average monthly rent in January 2026 in Havering was £1,560.

Council tax: Band D council tax in the borough for 2026/27 is £2,424.66

Transport: Havering has four Tube stations, three Elizabeth line stations, three London Overground stations, approximately 870 bus stops, and 36 day bus routes according to Transport for London.

It also has six National Rail stations: Emerson Park, Gidea Park, Harold Wood, Rainham, Romford and Upminster.

Local history: The modern London Borough of Havering was created in 1965 after the reorganisation and creation of the 32 London boroughs. Formerly part of Essex, it was formed from the old borough of Romford and the urban district of Hornchurch.

The arrival of suburban railways and the District line in the 20th Century accelerated suburbanisation, which blended historic country villages with new housing estates.

The borough's history stretches back to Anglo‑Saxon times, when Havering Palace served as a royal residence as early as the reign of Edward the Confessor, anchoring the area's early settlement.

The surrounding territory became the Royal Liberty of Havering in 1465, encompassing Havering‑atte‑Bower, Hornchurch and Romford.

Romford developed as a major market town after receiving a royal charter in 1247, a tradition that continues today.

What is the borough's electoral history? Havering has had four periods of no overall control (NOC) since its creation in 1965, with Labour in charge in the early 1970s and the Tories in control from 1978 to 1986 and from 2006 to 2014, since when it has been NOC.

The number of seats held by Labour has declined since 1998 and the Havering Residents Association (HRA) vote has risen steadily in the past decade to challenge Tory dominance.

What happened in 2022? The turnout was 35% and there was a 7.6% swing from Conservative to HRA.

HRA: 20 seats (+1)

Harold Wood Hill Park RA: 3 seats (no change)

Conservatives: 23 seats (-2)

Labour: 9 seats (+4)

The number of seats had increased from 54 to 55 due to boundary changes.

The council was run by a coalition between HRA and Labour, before moving to an HRA minority administration from 2024.

Since the election, there have been defections from the Tories to Reform UK, who now have three councillors, and to HRA, who have 25 councillors.

The Conservatives now have 14.

Professor Tony Travers, of the London School of Economics, said Havering has long been the home of no overall control, with Labour and Conservative councillors, but lots of ratepayers, independents and residents.

Given what we can see in other parts of London and the South East, it's a really good chance for Reform UK.

They will be hoping to win it outright and indeed if they don't it will suggest that their claim on London is weaker, even than they thought.

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